Hive Open Mic #152 - Brand New Key (Melanie)

Hive Open Mic

This week's theme Traditional Music chosen by @bertrayo was lending itself to Irish tunes as it's St Patrick's Day this month. This might be a coincidence, of course, but I was very tempted by that, we used to play a fair few in our band years ago and I have got whistles, violin and such like.
In the end I settled for something different; not really a traditional song, but it was part of the Hippie era and it happens to be my trade mark song!

Melanie's Brand New Key

Melanie Safka recorded this fun little song, also called The Rollerskate Song, in 1971 after performing at Woodstock two years earlier and it is possibly the song she is mostly known by.
Something I locally seem to have in common with her.. 😄
I started learning it years ago, thinking it's quite easy to pick up and it has somehow stayed with me ever since; it sure seems to capture the audience's attention, who will often sing the different lyrics of a cover version from 1976, The Combine Harvester
Think, I'll stick with the original though.. 😂

anna-newkey

It is a coincidence that I chose anna-newkey years ago as a login name before Hive and before I learned the song, but it is very fitting indeed. By the way: My name is Anke, but I'm often called Anna back home in Hamburg, because my Mum thought it was a good idea to name me after her sister.. 🙄
She could have been a little more inventive, but hey, whatever..

Final Words

I had fun recording this and hope you like this little song, just like I do!
Thanks for listening! 😀

You can find the lyrics here

Melanie performing at Woodstock in 1969

_Source

_{Thanks for looking!
All images are property of @anna-newkey, unless otherwise stated.}